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The missing ingredient follows a straight line from the parents to the children and from the teachers to the students. It's called communication. Parents no longer have the inclination or the time to spend with their children in their education. As long as Johnny is making touch-downs for the school team and isn't being expelled for something, everything must be alright.

Most parents (not all), are oblivous to what the child is being taught and if they are understanding what they are learning. They don't spend any time, going over the child's homework or asking if they are having any problems at school. The days of a parent sitting down with their child with a list of words to spell and having Johnny spell them is gone.

Do you remember the last time your child brought home schoolwork and asked you for help? Or asked you what a particular word meant and your response was to get the dictionary? If children cannot feel comfortable coming to you with questions or needing help, how are they to learn, advance or make the effort to learn? Children are a sponge when it comes to learning, but if they don't understand something and no one wants to help, their interest will flag quickly. They are communicating their need for help.

Teachers cannot be as effective as they once were, with the growth in numbers of children in a classroom and shorter class times. The standards for the basic three: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic have lowered so much that a teacher cannot communicate the importance of those to the class and is not given the time to do them proficiently.

It's a matter of, if you don't get it in class, then I can't help you. A teacher's hands are tied when it comes to the curriculum and as to how much time is given to each subject. State governments decide what classes to teach and the length of time for them to be completed. A teacher cannot communicate effectively with her students, other than the bare basics under those types of constraints.

It is no wonder that the children leave high school and cannot spell, write or speak properly. Their communication skills are below par and their hopes of a well-paying job dissolve because they don't have the knowledge necessary to compete in the job market.

There was a time when children could read and write before they entered kindergarten. Now unfortunately, children leaving high school, barely have 8th grade reading and comprehension levels. They have no idea how to count back change and their grammar skills leave much to be desired.

Communication is the key to all things in life - jobs, interpersonal skills, personal relationships, finances and learning and understanding new information and how to apply it.

Learn more about this author, Nanette Piotrowski.
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